Switch mechanism for partition walls



Oct. 18, 1966 J. GENISON SWITCH MEGHANISM FORPARTITION WALLS Filed Sept. 17, 1964 United States Patent O 3,279 123 SWITCH MECHANISM FGR PARTITION WALLS John Genison, 2315 Ave. O,`Brooklyn, N.Y. Filed Sept. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 397,185 1 Claim. (Cl. 49-127) This invention relates to a switch mechanism for switching partitions in the partitioning of a large room into a plurality of smaller rooms.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simplified switch mechanism.

It is another object to provide a switch mechanism wherein all moving parts are disposed on the top -side of the base plate.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following descriptive disclosure taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which;

FIG. l is a front view of a partition Wall, broken away in part, and showing the short guide posts on the top and bottom edges adjacent the front vertical margin of the wall and also showing the longer actuating guide posts adjacent the rear vertical margin of the wall,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a switch mechanism showing the lposts of a wall disposed in stored position, and showing the posts of a second wall being disposed through a switching plate,

FIG. 3 is a section view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2 and showing the fiat mechanism disposed flush with the floor,

FIG. 4 is a section view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2 and showing the ball detent manner of holding a switching plate in a selected position,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a switching plate showing an aperture for the journal and a smaller aperture for the ball detent,

FIG. 6 is a plan view of another embodiment of the switch mechanism wherein the partition doors employ a branch or side line to direct the doors,

FIG. 7 is an enlarged section view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 2, through a journal securing a switch plate to the base plate, and

FIG. 8 is a side view of a shaft used as a journal.

Turning to the drawing, a partition 10 of several feet in height and of lesser feet in width is provided with a short post 11 at its top edge and also at its bottom edge adjacent the front vertical edge 12 of the door. The top and bottom edges are also provided with switch plate actuating larger posts 13 adjacent the rear vertical edge 14.

Posts 11 and 13 are guide posts and are disposed in channels 15. Post 13 is additionally an actuating post since it actuates a switch plate 16 (FIG. 5) strategically located at the juncture of two adjacent channels 15.

The switching mechanism (FIGS. 2 and 3) comprises a large at base plate 16X of suitably strong sheet metal to which are secured by countersunk bolts 17 suitably curved guide bars of fiat metal 18 and guide bars 19. The bars 18 and 19 are suitably spaced-apart in parallel curved relationship to form the suitably wide guide channels for the posts 11 and 13.

The base plate 16X and its co-acting plates 18 and 19 are disposed in a suitable cavity in the oor so that the top of bars 18 and 19 are ush with the floor level 20.

In the use of the mechanism of FIG. 2, an identical unit is disposed in both the ceiling and in the floor directly over one another so as to simultaneously engage the top and the bottom -posts 11 and 13 and thereby hold a partition in a vertical plane.

The mechanism (FIG. 2) is located behind a side wall in the room being partitioned with the mouth end 21 being connected to the channel disposed in the floor of the room being partitioned.

3,279,123 Patented Oct. 18, 1966 ice The weight of the wall 10 is supported on conventional front and back roller units and the guide posts 11 and 13 may be a part of these units as in U.S. Patent 2,944,282.

An important feature of this invention is the Iprovision of a novel switch plate 16. The switch plate 16 is of integral construction and of a substantially L-shaped configuration. The plate 16 is flat and is provided with a bottom relatively thin flat tapered extension head portion 25 and a tapered tail portion 26 of full thickness. A journal aperture 27 is provided with a 'bevel mouth 28 and is suitably disposed between the portions 25 and 26 to function as the pivot point. An aperture 29 is provided to receive a conventional bullet or ball latch 30 and adapted to engage strategically locking cavities or detents 31 and 32 disposed in the base plate 16X.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the base plate 16X is provided with suitably tapered apertures 33 suitably located therein to receive a solid journaled shaft 34 (FIG. 8).

The solid metal journal shaft 34 is provided with a flared `base 35 to mate with the corresponding flare in the aperture 33. Shaft 34 is further provided with a cyl-indrical pedestal 36 having a circular ledge 36X upon which the switch -plate 16 rests (FIG. 7).

Also as shown in FIG. 7, the top of pillar 37 is -provided with a threaded cavity or well and a ared cap 38 is provided with a threaded shank to engage the threaded cavity of pillar 37. Cap 38 is provided with a slot in its top wall to receive a screw driver. Thus the journal shaft captively retains the switch plate 16 yet because of predetermined clearance it permits rotatable movement between lock detents 31 and 32.

As shown in FIG. 2 the switch mechanism consisting of many plates 18 and 19 forming storage tracks or channels 15 may be secured as 'by ush bolts 17 into suitable threaded apertures in plate 16X or the plates 18 and 19 may be welded to the base plate 16X. The Ibase plate 16X preferably lis given the peripheral or outside dimensions and configuration of the plates 18 and 19 so as to form a compact unit of minimum weight.

However, as shown in the modification of FIG. 6, a very large number of partitions are stored. In such cases, the partitions 10, are rolled on the plates 18 and 19 disposed in suitable recesses or cavities in the floor behind the slot in the side wall 40. The bars 18 are generally wider than the `bars 19 since the rollers of the partitions rest thereon. But bars 18 and 19 may be of equal width if desired, especially if the partitions 10 are of light weight construction.

As shown in FIG. 6, this embodiment embraces a main track 41 with an extension 42 to receive the first incoming partition just as in FIG. 2. However, the modification of FIG. 6 is provided with a primary branch line 43 to which a plurality of side lines 44 are connected in parallel relationship to extension line 42. Nevertheless, the manner of ingress and of egress of the partitions in the modifications of FIGS. 2 and 6 are essentially the same.

As shown in FIG. 2, a frog or switch plate 16 is located at a switching point or juncture of any two adjacent channels 15. At this point the bars 18 and 19 are undercut 45 (shown in dotted outline) to permit the thin plate 25 to pass therebeneath and thus be out of the path of the posts 11 and 13.

In storing partitions 10 (FIG. 2) the pos-t 11 of the first partition coming up the mouth end 21 meets the curved surface of the tail portion 26 of the first switch 16 located nearest the mouth end. The post 11 rubs against and pushes against portion 26 and then being short it passes over the thin portion 25. Further inward pushing movement of the partition causes the two rear posts 13 in the top and bottom wall respectively to rub against the corresponding tail portions in the ceiling and in the oor mechanisms and then to simultaneously engage a side of the flat portion 25 of the corresponding switch plates 16 thereby causing them to move a short distance from detent position 32 to detent position 31 wherein the thin plate is lockingly held beneath portions of the adjacent guide bars 18 and 19. The kpartition is then in a stored position in the leftmost channel (FIG.-2). The movement of the thin portion'of the rst switch plate opened the main channel so that the small posts 11 of the second` partition can pass into the second leftmost channel operating the second switch plate as in the case of the first switch plate.

The channel is now open to receive the third partition which is pushed in a straight line into its storage position.

In pushing the partition, into the room through the mouth end 21, the last one to be stored is the tirst one to be removed from storage. Thus the partition disposed in the straight or linear stall or channel 15 (FIG. 2) is removed first. Next, the partition disposed nextto the now empty channel 15 is removed so that the switch 16 will be in a position to receive this particular partition when it is to be stored later. And lastly the outermost partition is removed, thereby setting up .its switch plate `16 i.e. the one closest to the mouth end 21. In short, theV order of removal is exactly the reverse of the order of storing the partitions.

In storing the panels or partitions in the plan set forth in FIG. 6, the first partition to be stored is disposed straight or linearly into its channel and inY so doing trips the rst switch plate 16 so that the tail portion 26 so engages the walls of this channel 15 as to block it against the admission of a second partition, said tail portion 26 `of the irst switch plate functioning .as a diversionary means for directing the short post of the next or second partition angularly into the primary branch line 43. Thus the second and all other partitions are diverted by the irst closed switch into this branch line.

The second partition is guided into the second and parallel stall or channel 15 by the second switch plate which blocks primary channel 43 by having its tail portion in this primary channel. On passing into the second parallel stall, the longer or rear posts (top and bottom) of the partition trips the thin plate portions 25 of the respective top and bottom mechanisms from one detent position to the other to bring the tail portion into the channel 15, thereby closing the second stall to further partitions (FIG. 6). This process of feeding partitions is repeated until all the parallel stalls are filled with their corresponding partitions. Thus partition number one goes into stall number one, partition number two into stall number two, etc., with the larger posts of each partition 10 closing the specific channel upon being stored in place.

The reverse order of removal is used to remove the FIG. 6 partitions from storage. Hence the partition last to be stored is the one first storage, etc.

It is thus evident that this invention storage of any number of partitions.

permits a rapid to be removed from- Clearly, this invention is of a generic scope and is not limited to the illustrative embodiments presented herein.

I claim:

A compact mechanism for storage of room partition panels each mounted for sliding `movement in vertically, opposed main channels into Vandout ofy the istoragel mechanism and including spaced guide elements in the upper and lower edges of each partition panelV adjacent the vertical leading and trailing edges thereof engaged in said vertically opposed main channels, said guide elements adjacent the vertical trailing edge extending outwardly beyond the upper and lower margins of said partition panels a greater distance than the guide elements adjacent the said vertical leading edge, said mechanism comprising; base plates adapted to be mounted invertically opposed relation each having a plurality of pairs of paralleLspaced-apart rails forming suitable storage l channels secured to said base plates, one of said storage channels forming a continuation of said main channels portion at the other end of lesser thickness whereby the. longer guide elements will engage` said front portion to actuate the switch plate after the short guide elements i have passed the switch plate unobstructed,` spring ball latch means disposed in said tail pivoting movement of the switch plates between a pair of predetermined coacting detent` cavities suitably .dis-

posed in the base plates, said switch plates each having i a journal aperture having a flared .opening at the top surface and a round opening at the bottom surface, twopiece solid journal shafts for said switch plates each comprising a flared base at one end, an offset bearing shoulder intermediate its length and a tapped aperture at its other end, said base plates having suitable `tapered apertures to receive the flared base of the journal shafts in a press lit planar relationship, the switch plates supported on said olset bearing shoulders and securing elements having threaded shanks received in the tapped apertures in said journal shafts and flared caps to engage the flared openings in the switch plates with suitable clearance to removably secure the switch plates to the .Y

base plates in planar relationship said channels.

with the top surfaces of References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES 'PATENTS 418,255 12/1889 Welter 20-16 X 3,052,000 9/ 1962 Ferrett 20-19 FOREIGN PATENTS 942,965 5 195 6 Germany.

13,652 6/1889 Great Britain. 874,661 8/ 1961 Great Britain.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner. i KENNETH DOWNEY, Examiner.

portions for limiting the 

